A view of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium (KSCA) ahead of its first IPL 2026 match. | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

Amid speculation over why Royal Challengers Bengaluru missed out on hosting the IPL 2026 final despite being the defending champion, the BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia revealed that the decision stemmed from the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) allegedly seeking complimentary tickets “far beyond” its permitted quota.

Speaking to Sportstar, Saikia said: “As per IPL protocol, we are required to provide only 15 per cent of the total seating capacity as complimentary tickets to the host association. This constitutes the standard protocol; all host state associations receive a 15 per cent allocation of their total capacity in the form of complimentary tickets…”

However, he claimed that the KSCA sought a substantially higher number of tickets. “That was much beyond the allocated 15 per cent,” he said.

“We wrote to the KSCA asking for details and, to our surprise, on May 2, they replied saying that over and above the complimentary ticket quota, they would require an additional allocation of tickets for their members, affiliated clubs and various others,” Saikia said.

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“There were also requests from them for tickets for their local Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and Members of the Legislative Council (MLCs). And also to the government of Karnataka, 700 complimentary tickets….”

According to Saikia, it was after these developments that the BCCI decided to shift the IPL final to Narendra Modi Stadium, which can accommodate around 1,20,000 spectators. Qualifier 1 was allotted to Dharamsala, while the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 were assigned to New Chandigarh.

Though the KSCA expressed disappointment soon after the venues were announced on Wednesday, association president Venkatesh Prasad was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.

The IPL 2026 final will be held on May 31.

Published on May 07, 2026